Lawyers ask Mutharika to act on college closures

Jan 12, 2017 Politics 16
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polytechnic
polytechnic
Poly remains closed.

The Malawi Lawyer Society (MLS) has expressed worry over the instability of academic calendar for public universities due to constant closures and have asked President Peter Mutharika to resolve issues leading to the disruptions.

The development comes at a time when two public universities namely Mzuzu University and The Polytechnic have remained closed for months.

In statement released on Monday that has been signed by MLS President John Suzi Banda, the society has urged authorities to take action to have the two universities reopened.

“The Society bemoans the instability that afflicts the academic calendar in Malawi’s public universities and calls upon the Head of State, as the Chancellor of all public universities in Malawi, and the relevant governing councils, to take such steps as would bring about stability and certainty in the academic calendars of all public universities in Malawi.”

“Specifically, the society wishes to urge all the relevant authorities to urgently and speedily resolve the disputes that are keeping the aforementioned public universities closed,” reads part of the statement made available to Malawi24.

Despite having education as a human right, students in public universities are yet believe in this right as they are forced to have long holidays due to strikes either by students themselves or their lectures.

The development has seen some students studying for six years for a program that is supposed to be studied in four years. The Polytechnic is already one year behind other public colleges in Malawi.

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16 Comments

  2. Alibe problem. Salary ikulowa chimodzimodzi, alibe mwana ophunzira mma university otsekedwawo, kuli ziiii palibe akumuopsyeza kuti atule pansi udindo ndiye apanga bwanji action. We should act instead! Street ndi dilu

  3. Vuto ndilakuti munthu uyu simmalawi ayi.akadakhala mmalawi akamavelako zokamba zazake amalawi.sono poti adangotolana paubale wawo naona malawi ikuvutika.

  4. I wonder how much it costs the government to pay lecturers in all these univeristies ,how much it costs them to buy books and update these books frequently since a university needs to have updated books ,how much it costs them to have educational equipment and to mantain them, i wonder how much it costs them to give out loans which almost no one pays back, i wonder how much it costs government to give students allowances for being students which when are not given students again demostrate and break things which the government has to fix with their own money . How much does all this cost .. you have to really with reason think that the fee hike was a bit reasonable, however it was still too much since most people can’t afford . But again how come when these same peolle get withdrawn from public universities ,they seem to manage to get into a private university and where else can you actually complete university paying about close to 300 thousand a year??where else even in this same africa and in countries as close as zambia . How much does it really cost the government to educate one child? ?remember they also have to support public secondary schools and primaries … lets not look at this from one angle.

    1. It’s not important for all of us to know every associated costs that takes one to be in university but rather those in control bring a solution to this challenge.

    2. Maybe u dont know why polytechnic was closed! Let me xul u,,,when unima council decided to raise the fees they said it will be effective from 2016/2017 acedemic year,,,,and students agreed that,,but unfurtunately,wth some delays during so called acedemic freedom,poly was closed and that led to the delay! So now the poly is stil in 2015/2016 acedemic yr not 2016/2017 as the case with the likes of Medicine,chanco and KCN both of them paid old fees in 2015/2016,,,so bcoz poly was left behind with a year,they want also to pay old fees only for this yr and start payng new fees the other acedemic yr which wil b 2016/2017 accodng to poly calenda,,,,students are not refusing to pay the new fees but they deny to pay it prematurely!

    4. Hastings,before you point fingers at someone, have enough data.There was nothing like demonstration that led to closure of polytechnic…

  6. Does this President have Advisers? Its like you are telling a 2 year old Boy. He won’t do anythong. but he calls himself #PROFFESSOR

  7. As parents are worried especially with the girls child being kept ideal in our homes for such a long peruod may result frustration as well as early marrages.

    This is a shared responsibility but it seem the decision makes are using the concept of “musova” who the parents/students cannot resolve such a complex puzzle unless this in control are putting some effort to bring the stalenate to an end.

    Imagine that the lectures and entire staff are getting paid fron the Government purse for staying home and as a nation we are confortable with this.

    Let’s do something about it and move on otherwise the quality of the graduates we are going to get from these intake is just an embarrassment to the nation.

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